Politics and Policy With a Punch

Tonight, the Milpitas City Council voted 4 to 0 to raise its minimum wage to $15 by 2019, three years sooner than mandated by the State of California. Workers in the City will see their first raise in July of this year. Voting in support of $15 by 2019 were Council Members Marsha Grilli, Anthony Phan, Bob Nuñez and Mayor Rich Tran. Council Member Garry Barbadillo had to leave the meeting prior to the vote.

Milpitas is the seventh city in Santa Clara County to join the regional effort to raise the wage for workers struggling to survive in the extraordinary expensive Silicon Valley. This regional approach, including today’s vote in Milpitas, means that more than 80% of county’s population is covered by an increased minimum wage.